Harry Styles has revealed how David Bowie’s wise words made him realise that it’s OK to feel "uncomfortable" by a song.
The former One Direction star watched an interview with the late ‘Starman’ hitmaker explaining that the "best work" often comes when you "can’t quite touch the bottom".
And the ‘Watermelon Sugar’ hitmaker, who was unsure about the track ‘Treat People With Kindness’ – which became a "mantra" for his fans on his 2018 tour – from his new LP ‘Fine Line’ at first, says Bowie’s interview taught him that a song isn’t necessarily "bad" if it leaves you feeling conflicted.
He told Music Week magazine: "When I first wrote it I wasn’t sure if I really liked it or really hated it, but as it was going on I was like, ‘Oh I really like this, this is really fun.’
"I’d seen this clip of David Bowie talking saying that you usually end up doing your best work when you feel like you can’t quite touch the bottom, and realising that the fact that it made me feel a little uncomfortable didn’t mean it was a bad song was a big thing."
The 25-year-old pop star says the song is a "tribute" to his fans, who swiftly adopted the empowering message and rocked merchandise with the slogan emblazoned across it.
He said: "It was a pin I had on my guitar strap and we made T-shirts for it, then I saw a lot of t-shirts around.
"I’d be driving or something and see someone in one and I started feeling like, ‘Oh this is a bit of a thing.’
"I had an idea of writing a song to go with it and it turned into a tribute, it’s just really fun."
On what the message behind the song is, he explained: "Small changes end up making a big difference.
"It’s about being a lot nicer to each other rather than, ‘Don’t do this, or don’t do that, not this yes that.’
"It’s just saying, ‘Treat people with kindness,’ you know."
Harry released ‘Fine Line’ – the follow-up to his 2017 self-titled debut solo LP- on Friday (13.12.19), and added how he can’t wait to perform the track live when he hits the road next year.
Harry Styles was inspired by David Bowie whilst working on Fine Line
